Star Wars Explained Targets Star Wars Theory, Nerdrotic, Geeks + Gamers
Mollie Damon of Star Wars Explained has issued a Tweet addressing YouTube directly, asking for various channels to be demonetized. Those targeted include Geeks + Gamers, RK Outpost, Star Wars Theory, and Nerdrotic. Mollie and her husband, Alex, run Star Wars Explained, a YouTube channel and online community that explains common Star Wars questions and reviews the latest Star Wars content. Some are calling this the start of a Star Wars fandom civil war as some channels literally call for others to be removed or demonetized, Star Wars Explained being one of the biggest and loudest voices. The claims involve the usual racism and sexism, with channels being accused of hating on actresses like Amandla Stenberg, Kelly Marie Tran, and Moses Ingram for their biological identities, as opposed to the shows/movies themselves or the performances. Check out Mollie’s Tweet here:
I’ve spoken at length about all this in the past but the only way things get better is if @TeamYouTube does something to discourage this kind of content – until then it will only get worse. pic.twitter.com/Y5R3Ds796F
— Mollie Damon (@MollieDamon) September 4, 2024
I’m actually shocked, and I’m not that easily surprised. It’s super common for anyone who isn’t happy with Star Wars or any piece of entertainment to be called racist, sexist, and homophobic. But I tend to think it’s the access media or random people online saying it, not actual big Star Wars channels. I used to like Star Wars Explained but changed my mind throughout The Acolyte’s airing on Disney+. I’m not one for the explanation videos, except for things from Legends, like character backstories. However, I did enjoy the channel’s reviews; not as much as Thor Skywalker or some other channels, but it was fun. As The Acolyte came out and Star Wars Explained reviewed each episode, I realized they were shilling. The Damons were even invited to the show’s premiere, showing that they are favored by Disney at the very least. At least Alex Damon seemingly loved the show, defending every plot hole and confusing character motivation possible. When Alex liked the episode “Day,” I concluded that he wasn’t being genuine. Giving Star Wars Explained the benefit of the doubt, this would be terrible taste and an unhelpful point of view. But I think it’s more than that; it’s an attempt to ingratiate the channel with Disney and silence dissenting opinions. Nobody is allowed to dislike The Acolyte not because it’s good, which it isn’t, but because it’s headed by women. This line of thinking also discounts genuinely good work from women like Bryce Dallas Howard and Deborah Chow, both of whom directed excellent episodes of The Mandalorian. I think giving women credit for our gender rather than the quality of our work actually makes it harder for us to be taken seriously rather than bolstering us. I don’t understand this coming from Mollie, a woman in entertainment herself, albeit on a much smaller scale. You are not helping people like Amandla Stenberg or Leslye Headland by white knighting for them on Twitter.
The people this is hurting, like Star Wars Theory, who responded in a video today, are having their livelihood threatened. I can’t believe anyone would try to remove someone’s job and financial stability for not liking a TV show. Seeing negative opinions as harmful or hateful is not new, but we shouldn’t allow it to become the norm. YouTube already declined to demonetize some of these channels, so I don’t think it will work this time, either. But it’s reprehensible behavior and not a very mature way to deal with opposing points of view. I’ve never heard Theory say anything hateful towards any group; on the contrary, he has repeatedly asked his viewers not to harass actors, writers, and even online entities like WookieePedia. I also don’t believe Jeremy, Gary from Nerdrotic, etc., would say things like “half-black b**ch” about Amandla Stenberg or anyone else. It’s not a good show, and Stenberg’s performance is hardly a redeeming quality, but that isn’t necessary. I don’t think the people mentioned in the claim would do this.
But what do you think, friends? Are Theory, Nerdrotic, Jeremy, etc., just big ol’ sexists after all? Is it wrong to dislike a show because of the demographics working behind and in front of the camera? Can the Star Wars fandom survive a rift like this? Sound off in the comments!
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Comments (2)
The projection of it all. There is nothing more sexist than saying The Force Is Female.
Also, The DEI and ESG, one of it’s main goals was to feminize all the IPs. That is sexist and it comes from the very top, from Blackrock and Blackstone. It’s a stated goal that they have.
The demonetization threat is a bridge too far, especially, from people who had a program that spent over 100 million. Also, it can no longer be argued that somehow an ophan and crew have had any advantage and privileges. Sexism? It’s on their end. Star Wars surviving has nothing to do with any fandom rift and everything to do with writing, story telling and characters.
Kathleen and Filoni could solve all this by paying Karpyshyn. It cannot be argued that a bunch of fans online are affecting a major IP and franchise and brand.